A senior officer at Kenya Ports Authority and a Mombasa based trader have been formally charged in a corruption case linked to a controversial port procurement deal.
Mark Oriema Gor, a Mechanical Superintendent at the Kenya Ports Authority, appeared before a Mombasa court alongside trader Simon Otieno Alloo and a company linked to him, Alootek Systems Limited, where they all pleaded not guilty to corruption related charges.
The plea came shortly after Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku dismissed an application by the accused seeking to stop the criminal proceedings.
The court ruled that the accused had not presented compelling grounds to halt the prosecution, noting that the matter before the court arose from a commercial dispute and that criminal accountability could still proceed.
The accused had argued that the Director of Public Prosecutions should not have approved the charges because there was a related civil case already before the courts. According to their lawyers, the DPP may have reached a different decision had the civil proceedings been considered.
However, prosecutors strongly opposed the request.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Alex Ndiema told the court that the existence of civil proceedings does not shield individuals from criminal prosecution, particularly in cases involving alleged corruption or abuse of public office.
At the center of the case is a procurement tender issued by the Kenya Ports Authority.
Mark Oriema Gor is accused of failing to declare a private interest in Tender No. KPA/097/2017-2018/CCE, which involved the supply and maintenance of two Atlas Copco compressors used in port operations.
As a Mechanical Superintendent and a member of KPA tender committees, prosecutors say Gor had a legal obligation to disclose any personal or private interest connected to the tender process.
Investigators allege that he failed to do so.
Simon Otieno Alloo and Alootek Systems Limited face separate charges of fraudulent practices in relation to the same procurement process.
According to the prosecution, the trader allegedly manipulated the tender process and falsely represented himself as the sole authorized distributor of Atlas Copco equipment in Kenya.
Such misrepresentation, prosecutors say, gave him an unfair advantage during the procurement process.
The case has once again placed a spotlight on procurement practices at the Port of Mombasa, one of Kenya’s most strategic economic installations and a hub through which billions of shillings worth of trade passes each year.
Following their plea, the court released the accused persons on a cash bail of KSh 100,000 each.
The prosecution has been directed to supply witness statements and other evidence ahead of the pre trial scheduled for March 18, 2026.
As the case moves forward, investigators say it could expose deeper procurement irregularities within port operations if the allegations are proven in court.
